On the Red Carpet......Good Giving....The year in review.........
As many of you have come to know by now, Good Giving, or a focus on charity, is very important to us here at GGM. When we originally thought about this piece, On The Red Carpet, we were determined to spend the majority of our time here covering charity and social events. Throughout our coverage of the dining and food industry, we have noted that those who chose to go into "hospitality," share the mind set that it is a lifestyle, not just a profession. Time and time again we have discovered chefs, food institutions or organizations, that are fully immersed on a daily basis with good giving. The following recap is a listing of the events and organizations we have supported and covered here at GGM and we hope that you will be inspired to either support one of these charities, or see fit to choose one of your own.
The act of sharing food and drink around a table with those you love and cherish is the single most important aspect of why we started GGM. It has never been about the acts of cooking or eating. It is, and will remain, about the direct connection between the two of us and you, our fans and friends, and your connection to the loved ones in your own lives. We continue to hope that through our magazine, in some small way, we contribute to a mind set that allows you to show the special people in your lives how much they mean to you. In many cases, most incorrectly interpret our tag line, Good Living as simply "living the good life." While that is a part of it, the real definition for us is "living life to the best of your ability" and we believe that incorporates Good Giving; The act of reaching out to those less fortunate than ourselves and helping better their lives. As you'll notice, we have kept the theme food and feeding the hungry and less fortunate, as one of our major charity directions here at the magazine. If you do not support a charity, this list will give you some great organizations that might fit that bill for you. If you do support a charity, please allow us to help support it by going to our blog, Kitchen Rap and sharing it with us. We will post these links and organizations so that we, together with your fellow GGM readers and fans, can help change the world to a better place starting today.
GGM...."Good Food, Good Wine, Good Living.....Good Giving!
Taste of the NFL
The core of the Taste of the NFL team is a group of Minnesota-based volunteers and businesses that have built the event into a valuable brand to use in the fund-raising efforts for hunger relief. It also has become a premier event of Super Bowl weekend.
Millions of needs, thousands of families and dozens of new hunger projects and contacts have been affected by this major volunteer effort. Their goal is to end hunger, and the team is dedicated to achieving that goal, community by community, using national success to jump-start local action. Mission Statement: To address the needs of the hungry and homeless by raising awareness and money through special events and programs. To learn more about how you can help, go to www.tasteofthenfl.com, or click the logo above.
My interview with Top Chef's, Tom Collichio at 2009's Taste of the NFL, Tampa
To view our coverage of the 2009 Tampa event, including pics and video: click here
Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Cook for the Cure®, Presented by KitchenAid, was created in 2001 to give those with a passion for cooking a way to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the fight against breast cancer. To date, it has raised more than $6 million through donation-with-purchase programs, special fundraising events, auctions, grassroots initiatives, and involvement from culinary notables such as Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin and Mary Sue Milliken.
In order to widen participation in Cook for the Cure®, KitchenAid, in cooperation with Villeroy & Boch, introduced a new ceramic serving plate that reads "Cook for your friends. Cook for your family. Cook for the Cure." The plate, marked by a pink ribbon, is meant to be passed to friends and family along with a culinary specialty prepared by the giver. Once the plate is passed, the recipient is then asked to do the same. Instructions for participating are on the back of each plate, as well as on CookfortheCure.com/PassthePlate.
When participants log on to CookfortheCure.com/PassthePlate and enter the number stamped on the back of the plate they will be able to monitor their plate’s travels, share recipes and stories about passing their plate, and read about the participation of select celebrity chefs.
To help get the program started, KitchenAid provided more than one hundred top chefs from around the country with their own numbered plates. Those who have registered and passed along plates with their culinary creations include celebrity chefs Jacques Pepin and Ming Tsai. On Monday, October 27th, 2008 at the ACF Caxambas Chapter Vendor Showcase 2008 Event in Naples Florida, Gourmet Girl Magazine, along with Villeroy & Boch raffled off plates to chefs attending the event, raising funds for the local chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. Elaine & Chef Brian then passed this plate to Amy Sedlacek on Fox's morning show, Fox 4 Rising.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, they have invested more than $1 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
The Ryan Wells Foundation
In June of 2005, Ryan was one of 30 students selected to attend the Florida Restaurant Association ProStart Invitation at Johnson and Wales University in Miami. While returning home from Miami on June 11th, he was involved in a car accident that took his life. The purpose of the Foundation is for students to live out Ryan’s dreams by pursuing a career in the culinary or hospitality fields as he had planned. The Foundation is also committed to helping the high school culinary programs of Pinellas County. The students they select will hopefully go on to great heights and give back to the community as Ryan would have. The students are selected on both academics and extracurricular activities. Since its formation in 2005, The Ryan Wells Foundation has awarded 30 scholarships to Pinellas County students amounting to over $100,000. To be considered for selection, students must have completed 3 semesters of culinary courses at a Pinellas County school and have a 2.5 GPA. An essay explaining their career goals is also required. Extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations are recommended. To learn more about how you can help, go to www.ryanwellsfoundation.com To view our coverage of the 'Evening with the Chefs: A Culinary Arts Dream Come True' event: click here
The Island Coast AIDS Network
Held November 7th in the Estero Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort, this year's ICAN Handbag Auction attracted female (and male) fashionistas from all over the southwest Florida area. The event featured premier designer, celebrity, artist inspired, one-of-a-kind, and “previously loved” handbags, on display during the silent auction held duing the Handbag Happy hour. GGM donated a number of items to the silent auction.
The Island Coast AIDS Network (ICAN) was founded in 1987 and incorporated as a not for profit corporation in 1989. Its mission is "To stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and assist individuals infected and affected in Southwest Florida." As a community based AIDS service organization, ICAN provides a wide variety of services to its clients as well as the general public.
Services include client emergency assistance fund, transportation, food and vitamin supplements through our food pantry, HIV/AIDS classes and training, HIV prevention services, Project AIDS Care Medicaid Waiver (PAC) case management, the SISTA & SOUL Projects, Ryan White Care Act case management and on-site commercial rental for HIV/AIDS related medical and allied health services. PAC services are provided to over 350 clients who have been diagnosed with AIDS each year, and Ryan White services are provided annually to more than 200 persons who are HIV positive.
PAC services include skilled nursing, personal care, homemaker, chore service, physical therapy, environmental modification, special medical supplies, therapeutic massage, education and support, substance abuse treatment and case management. Ryan White services include physician visits,
medication, dental services, medication compliance, diagnostic testing, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP) and case management. To learn more about how you can help, click on the ICAN logo. ----->
To view our coverage of the event: click here
March of Dimes March for Babies
It's America's favorite walking event! When you walk, you give hope to the families of babies born prematurely soon or sick. The money raised supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies and it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. Elaine was a volunteer last year and we are huge supporters of this organizatiion. They have been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $1.8 billion to benefit all babies.
To learn more about how you can help, go to www.marchforbabies.org
Zonta Club of Bonita Springs
Zonta Dessert Auction and Woman of the Year Dinner was an elegant evening that provided fabulous creations from area restaurants and culinary organizations, all donated to Zonta for the purpose of raising money for the Zonta Club.
The Zonta Club of Bonita Springs is an organization of business and professional women dedicated to improving the circumstances of women at all stages of life, both locally and globally, through community service and fundraising. The parent is an international and global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. GGM's pastry chef Paw and our former chocolatier Ingo, combined to create our donated one-of-a-kind dessert for this event that received the higfhest winning bid of the night.
To view our coverage of the event: click here
Candlelighters of Southwest Florida
Candlelighters of Southwest Florida was established in 1983 to assist Families of Children with Cancer and other Childhood Blood Disorders. Today Candlelighters serve approximately 350 families in a five county area, providing support, education and advocacy to children with cancer and blood disorders as well as the professionals that care for them. The Candlelighters organization is a vital source of inspiration, emotional support, and assistance for families struggling with their child's diagnosis.
Mission Statement: To provide Support, Education and Assistance to Families of Children with Cancer, or Blood Disorders and the Professionals who Care for them.
Click below to watch our Fashion show video..
To learn more about how you can help, go to www.candlelightersswfl.org